Cheyenne Suarez

Teachers and parents clean classrooms and paints arm chairs in Bagong Silangan Elementery School in Quezon City one day before school opens. Maria Tan ABS-CBN News

Despite being affected by super typhoon Carina and Habagat, teachers and parents at Bagong Silangan Elementery School in Quezon City clean classroom, paints arm chairs and prepare the classroom on Sunday, July 28, 2024, a day before the first day of School Year 2024-2025 tomorrow July 29. DepEd said that over 1,000 chools in Metro Manila, Ilocos region, Central Luzon and Soccsksargen region have opted to postpone the opening of classes. Maria Tan ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176769025023020240728-school preparation-MT-12.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Teachers and parents clean classrooms and paints arm chairs in Bagong Silangan Elementery School in Quezon City one day before school opens. Maria Tan ABS-CBN News</div><div> </div>MANILA — The Department of Education (DepEd) does not expect to have 24,000 new classrooms completed within the year, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said on Tuesday. This comes a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. touted that billions of pesos were lodged in the education sector’s budget to address the Philippines’ learning space shortage.The 30 percent increase in the DepEd’s budget this year — the highest jump in the agency’s history — gives the department sufficient funding to construct 24,000 classrooms in one year, but Angara said that this may not be possible due to several technical constraints. “Just to clarify, we don’t expect all of those 24,000 to be constructed in 365 days kasi historically hindi talaga nangyayari iyon but at the very least maumpisahan iyan,” he said in a press conference in Malacañang.“Nakikita natin it takes sometimes even two to three years to finish these classrooms kasi iyong release ng pera hindi January. Minsan sa June or sa October so it carries over to succeeding years,” he said.The DepEd initially wants the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to construct some 6,000 classrooms, but Secretary Vince Dizon has given a “conservative” number of 2,000 units instead, Angara said.“We have to really settle that with Sec. Vince and DPWH. Ilan talaga iyong kaya nilang i-construct of the 24,000,” he said.Unlike in previous years, the DepEd will not download funds to local government units so that provincial, city and municipal governments may help in the bidding and construction of more classrooms, the Education Chief said.“We are talking about the possibility of 80 provinces, 160 cities, hopefully several of the 1,600 municipalities,” he said.“Anyone who has the capacity tapos mayroon din from the provision in the General Appropriations Act, pinapayagan din iyong mga civil society organizations, NGOs na may proven record of constructing,” he said.“So, marami tayo niyan iyong Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers, iyong Philippine Chamber of Commerce in Industry, may mga foundations na may record of building. Iyon naman puwede nating ibigay sa kanila iyong last miles school construction dahil iyon wala masyadong takers iyon eh so iyon puwede nating i-download sa kanila iyon.”The change in the system of classroom construction comes after corruption scandals plagued the DPWH last year, with several public schools and other learning spaces left either unfinished or substandard.Meantime, the DepEd is also looking to hire some 65,000 teaching and non-teaching personnel this year.Angara says they are confident that the “supply actually exceeds the demand” for public schools teachers.Some 100,000 public school employees are set to be promoted this year to address concerns of stagnating careers in the Philippines education system, he said.

The Department of Education does not expect to have 24,000 new classrooms completed within the year, Secretary Sonny Angara said on Tuesday, a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. touted that billions of pesos were lodged in the education sector’s budget to address learning space shortage.

The Department of Education does not expect to have 24,000 new classrooms completed within the year, Secretary Sonny Angara said on Tuesday, a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. touted that billions of pesos were lodged in the education sector’s budget to address learning space shortage.

DepEd 'does not expect' 24,000 new classrooms to be finished in 2026: Angara

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DepEd 'does not expect' 24,000 new classrooms to be finished in 2026: Angara

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 06, 2026 05:07 PM PHT

Read More:

Department of Education

DepEd

Sonny Angara

education

classroom shortage

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